Carbonizing drier



Jah. 4, 1938, I F, B MRR|LL`- Y j 2,104,134?) CARBONI Z ING DR I ER l S v u V .V INVENTOR.

'4M W( L x BY Id'M/U,

ATTORNEY.

4, 193,8.` l F.` B. MoRRlLL 2,104,135

CARBONI Z ING DRIER Filed oct. 17, 1932 2 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

hama ,im 4, 193s ,y

CABBONIZING DRIER Frank B. Morrill, North Adams, Mass., asaignor to. The J ames Hunter Machine Company,

North Adama. Mus., a corporation of Massachusettl Application October-17, 1932, Serial No. 638,136

12 Claims.

The invention relates to driers in general, and in particular to driers in which continuous sheet material such as textile fabric isv caused to travel through an enclosure while subjected to heat and moving air currents, the material being caused to travel in a lengthy path within the enclosure in order to prolong its exposure to the conditions maintained therein.

In the type of driers of this order known as carbonizing driers, woolen fabrics while wet with an acid solution are exposed to currents of air at a relatively high temperature, to char all particles of vegetable matter remaining in the fabric and also to dry the fabric so as to permit the l? charred impurities to be readily removed from the cloth.

In these driers, the lengthy path for the fabric is provided through carrying the latter over a great number of cylindrical rolls longer than the zo width" of the fabric, located alternately at top and bottom of the enclosure, so that the fabric passes through the drier in a zigzag path comprising a great number of parallel and oppositely traveling runs. It has been the practice to direct the blasts or currents of air, utilized to expedite the drying, in a direction transversely of the fabric and hence at right angles to the direction of travel of the fabric. This practice has sev- `eral very great drawbacks, the most important of which. is that it produces unequal drying through causing one edge or portion of the fabric to dry more rapidly than the other edge or portion, because subjected to different conditions of heat and air movement. Such uneven drying is a very serious disadvantage, because even a slight variation in the air flow across the face of the goods results in the unequal shading of previously dyed fabrics, and also a subsequent application of dye will not take evenly across the in width of the fabric where the wet acid has been allowed to stay in the fabric different lengths of time. "I'he essential requirement of uniformity of air action across the whole width of the fabric is inherently unattainablewhere the air is intror, duced from one or both sides and the cloth moves lengthwise, as this creates zones extending lengthwise in the fabric in which the action of the air is bound to differ. The solution, I have found, lies in blowing the air lengthwise of the fabric, as thyus every point in the' width of the fabric can be brought equally close to the discharge aperture for. the air, leaving only the simple problem of obtaining uniform discharge of air from such aperture throughout the width of the fabric.

' chines of this type.

Other disadvantages of the prior method of disposing the drying and carbonizing air draft transversely are that the air currents travelling across the fabric tend to drift or crowd the fabric sidewise, folding or rolling up the cloth with result- 5 ant incomplete or unequal drying or carbonizing action, or even forcing the cloth or a portion of its width off from the ends of the rolls, with additional harmful results through tearing or marking the cloth, and otherwise interfering with the l0 proper operation of the drier. In addition, the air-introducing or propelling devices and apparatus have of necessity been located at one side of the enclosure, thereby rendering diiiicult or preventing access to the drier from both sides, l5 for the purpose of straightening out selvages vor for repairing a broken seam, or for other purposes; while the presence of these devices atthe side of the drier greatly increases the overall width of the drier and the iioor space occupied. Further, the heated air when once passed over the fabric has been either discharged at once from the enclosure and wasted, in spite of its still useful heat and capacity for further moistureabsorption, or where used over again, it has been broughtback to its point of reuse in a roundabout path wholly removed'from usefulcontact with the fabric and usually with wasteful loss of its heat.

The objects of the present invention are to avoid these and other drawbacks of existing carbonizing driers, and in addition to increase the working efficiency and rate of production of ma- To these ends, the invention comprises a car- 35 bonizing drier comprising a housing or enclosure, means for propelling continuous material therethrough, and means for producing currents of air within the housing which are directed lengthwise instead of transversely of the travelling material. Preferably these currents of airv after travelling to their useful limit in one direction are brought back to thel air-propelling means in a closed circulation path which returns along the fabric, so that the full measure of its heat and moisture-absorbing powers is realized. Desiredly the housing interior is sub-divided so as to define a plurality of more or less distinct stages, each with its own air-circulation path, in which different conditions of temperature and 50 moisture may be created and maintained; the sections thus representing the several stages may be Wholly or partly independent of 'each other as concerns their supply of air, and may'be sub-A l divided either by the fabric or by means inde- 55 pendent thereof into pressure and suction chambers to define the path of air-circulation. Means may be provided for easily varying the ratio between the air discharged and the air recirculated in each stage. With the air currents directed wholly lengthwise of the fabric, the air-propelling and heating devices. contrived to deliver a uniform draft across the full width, can be located in line with the runs of the material, instead of having to be at one side of the material, and through being within the width of the working portion of the enclosure, the whole drier need be but little wider than the widest fabric to be operated upon, thereby reducing the overall width of the machine and saving door space. and also permitting complete accessibility to the cloth within the drier from both sides of the machine at all times.

Screens may be located in the path of the air as it leaves the cloth and before it reaches the heating and propelling devices, to catch and retain any lint or dirt dislodged and picked up by A the air currents. cAs another preferred feature of the invention, the air is delivered over the fabric from the air-propelling devices in improved manner so as to create a negativepressure at the adjacent surface of the fabric, thereby expediting the evolution and removal of moisture from the fabric. Other features of the invention are as will be made plain hereinafter.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a side elevation oi' a carbonizing drier embodying the invention, with the panels forming the side of the housing removed.

Fig. 2 is a plan view.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the stage or section of the drier of Fig. l rst entered by the fabric, also with the side panels removed to show the interior arrangements, especially its sub-division into pressure and suction chambers.

Fig. 4 is a detail showing the discharge or plenum chamber and the arrangement of nozzles adjacent the lower ends of the runs of fabric, employed to create a negative pressure and expedited drying action.

In the drawings, the housing is indicated generally at i, being composed throughout `of heat insulating material as is customary. The usual slatted rolls 3 are located at two levels, respectively at the top and bottom of the housing interior, and the cloth 5, entering the housing at 1, passes alternately around a -top and bottom roll until it emerges from the machine at 3. The cloth within the housing is thus disposed in vertical and substantially parallel runs. Certain of the rolls 3 at the top of the machine are driven by means of chains ii and appropriate sprockets, bevel gears I3, i5, shaft I1 and pulley I3, from a. suitable source of power, to propel the cloth through the drier, all as heretofore. The two sides of the housing are formed by panels 2i whichare easily removable to give access to the interior of the housing from either side, and in addition small doors 22 are provided in certain of the panels.

In accordance with the invention, the interior of the housing is divided into three stages by means of air-impervious bailies or partitions 23,

25, which extend clear across the housing in-A terior from the removable panels at one side to those at the other, and below the lower level of rolls 3 down to the bottom of the housing or the floor on which the machine rests. The bailies terminate at or about the level of the top row of rolls, so that the cloth 3 maypass thereover in proceeding from one section to the next, and also so that there may be a -certain amount of interchange or travel of the air between the several stages. Though there is a narrow aperture always open at the proper level to permit the cloth to pass horizontally from the last top roll of the intermediate stage to the first top roll of the last stage, there is a continuation of the baille above this passage for the cloth. in the shape of a damper or swinging baille as indicated at 21, which maybe closed to prevent free travel of the air in either direction between the intermediate and the last stage, or may be opened to the desired degree to permit air interchange. 'I'he last stage thus can be made independent of the others so far as air transfer or interchange is concerned; it is kept materially hotter and drier than the rest of the machine to serve as the baker which assures the proper completion of the carbonizing action. This third stage or vbaker is provided with its own exhaust ports 29, through which the air may be exhausted by any suitable means, not shown, and at such rate as conditions may dictate, sufllcient fresh air to make up for that withdrawn through exhaust port 23 being allowed to enter as indicated by the arrows through the slot at point 9 through which the cloth emerges from the housing; but at the same time, the adjustable baille 21 may be opened to permit any desired amount of air from the baker to pass in the opposite direction to the travel of the cloth over the .top of baffle 23 and into the intermediate stage. Thus the baker may be'either in series or in parallel with the other stages, or may pass a part of its air serially into the intermediate stage while wasting the rest through port 29.

The other stages, which may be called the drier stages orV sections to distinguish them, are arranged in series as 'regards the travel of the air; an exhaust port 3| is provided in the rst stage close to the point at winch the cloth enters the machine, and any suitable means (not shown) is employed to draw oil the requisite quantity of saturated air through this port to suit the conditions desired oremet with within these stages. Make-up air is allowed to enter under atmospheric pressure through a preheater 33 in the top of the right hand side of the intermediate stage, the air being warmed during its entry through passing over the pipes 35 and flanges of an extended-surface heater located athwart its path. As noted, the first and intermediate stages are in communication through terminating the baille 25 at the level of the top rolls, so that air from the intermediate section enters the first sectionl to continue its useful work before being discharged through the exhaust 3|.

Each stage or section is sub-divided by means of a baille or partition 31 extending from about the level of the top rolls 3 to a point below the level of the bottom rolls, and across the full width of the housing interior. At the bottom, each partition 31 reaches to the housing of a heater 33 through which air is forced by a number of blowers 4i connected by leaders l2 with the space beneath the heaters, and driven by a motor 43 or other suitable source of power, the blowers and heaters allbeing located within the working width of the housing. The air currents issuing from each heater 39 are directed upwardly between and at each side of the bottom rolls 3 through nozzles 4l extending across the width of the machine and are caused to travel upward ries of blowers 4I (as shown in connection with the first stage only) abreast across the width of the drier, the air-flow into the space below the nozzles 45 is made essentially uniform across the full width of the housing; the parts which compose the nozzles and which of course obstruct the passage of air between adjacent nozzles cooperate with the excess air-handling capacity given to the blowers to build up a pressure which equalizes itself throughout this space or chamber, and the resulting sheets of' air discharged from the nozzles are uniform lin intensity across the full width of the machine. The air passes around the selvages in equal and oppositely directed amounts and force to enter between the runs which are closed at the bottom by the lower rolls 3, proceeding thereafter in the same lgeneral up-l ward direction, lengthwise of the fabric. It will be obvious that there are no unbalanced forces tending to drift or crowd the fabric sidewise, and the uniform distribution of the air currents over the entire surface of the fabric and around its selvages ensures even and equal drying. Proper space is left between the ends of the rolls andv the adjacent interior sides of the housing to permit free travel of the air around the selvages. The air rising above the top rolls 3 is drawn over the tops of the partitions 31 and sucked downthe blowers 4I located below this chamber, passing lengthwisedown between the vertical runs of fabric in this chamber and performing its drying action in a manner exactly similar to that obtaining in the associated pressure chamber on the other side of bams di. it will thus be seen that the improved carbonizing drier resolves into an enclosure divided up into a plurality of sections or stages each of which is sub-divided into a pressure and a suction chamber with an interposed blower and heating device. the air being caused to travel lengthwise of and in contact with the fabric at lall times, both in going from and returning to the air-propelling and heating devices. Each of the three sections or stages shown, with its intermediate bame Il, denes an air-circulation path, as shownby the arrows, inpractically the whole of which the air is in useful drying contact with the fabric; the rapid circulation keeps the temperature uniform and resists condensation of moisture throughout all parts of each section.

When operating under the best conditions, only a small.proportion of the air circulating in each stage is in process of being withdrawn through the exhaust ports 29 and 3l, as through withdrawing the minimum amount which will suffice to keep the air from becoming saturated and terminate its power to absorb moisture the heat economy of the machine-is at its best. But under certain circumstances, to prevent the condensation of acid-laden moisture on the interior parts of the drier and the cumulative concentration of the acid in such condensed moisture, a largely increased rate of discharge of air from the drier is needed, in extreme cases even compelling the discharge of the air from one or more sections without any recirculation therein. To provide for this contingency met with in handling certain fabrics, the iirstand intermediate sections are provided with adjustable swinging baiiies 28,

which cooperate with the partitions "in these `two stages to close more or less completely as desired the passage over the cloth through which the air passes Yfrom one stage to the preceding '.stage counter to the travel of the cloth. The

pintles of thase bames 28,-as also is true of the baille 21 aforesaid, extend outside the casing at 30, and are there equipped with adjusting arms 32 whereby the bames may be opened or closed to the extent needed. As indicated by the arrows, the air normally entering the baker at 9 passes through the fan and heater and is exhausted in part through the exhaust portv 29,

and in part proceeds from the, suction chamber chamber of the first stage, and when discharged into the pressure chamber of this stage is in part wasted through the exhaust port 3| and in part returned for recirculation'into the suction chamber by passing under the baille 28. As .will

readily be understood,` by fully closing the baffles 28 all the air passing through the suction chamber and the fan of the intermediate stage can be forced upward through the pressure chamber of this stage and caused to be discharged over the bafe 25 under the full and positive pressure of this fan Vinto the'suction chamber of the rst stage, to be correspondingly wasted through the exhaust port 3|, without any recirculation whatever in these two stages. A similar baille 28 may be arranged overthe partition 3l in the baker, if desired. Through the provision of these adjustable baffles 28, it will be seen that any desired ratio between the volume of air circulated in any stage and'the air discharged from the stage can be attained to meet whatever conditions of drying or of condensation may arise. 'I'he heaters 89preferredly of the usual form comprising steam pipes with expanded surfaces fixed in rectangular heads at opposite extremities are mounted in accordance with the invention at the bottom of the pressure chambers of the several stages in the horizontal relation shown, close to the nozzles and spaced weil above the floor. With this arrangement, they are easily accessible from below at all times for cleaning and other purposes. Being supported on angles 40, as shown, they may even be slid out sidewise of the machine for greater facility in cleaning accumulated dust from their interstices, after detaching the steam leads at 44, 46.

In accordance with another phase of the invention, the efficiency and economy of the improved drier may be further increased through the arrangement shown in Fig. 4 for delivering the air from the blowers 4I in thin sheets at high speed over the surface of the fabric as disposed in vertical runs in the pressure chamber of eachsectlon or stage. This arrangement constitutes an application of my invention set forth in my `co-pending application for patent led under date of August 16, 1932, Serial No. 629,009. The air forced through the heaters 39 is caused to issue at high speed in thin sheets extending across the entire working width of the housing through nozzles 41, which direct these sheets as indicated by the large arrows in Fig. 4, over the surface of the fabric lengthwise of the latter in closely adjacent and parallel relation to the surthe fabric is aspirated and entrained by the high speed sheet of air and induced to move away from lsuch surface, as indicated by the small arrows -in Fig. 4, noticeably reducing the air pressure at the proximate surface of the fabric below the general pressure prevailing within the pressure chamber, or in other words creating a negative pressure at such surface of the fabric, which characteristically bows the cloth inwardLv toward the blasts as they issue from the nozzles..

/Through this reduction in the air pressure adjacent the surface of the fabric, the evolution of moisture from the fabric and its removal from the proximity of the surface is greatly expedited.

Screens I9 are located below the bottom rolls 3 in the suction chamber of each stage or section, so that all air entering the blowers U-is freed of lint, threads, .and other dirt or flying matter picked up or dislodged by the moving air currents or the travelingfabrlc, and this lint, etc., is prevented from reaching the heaters 39 where it would otherwise collect on the fins, extended surfaces, or steam pipes to create a dangerous fire hazard. The screens are. horizontally disposed in guides Il whence they may easily be slid out laterally for stripping upon the removal of the appropriate side panels 2l of the housing; being horizontally disposed and capable of removal in the same position, they retain even during removalthe matter collected on their upper surfaces.

What I claim as my invention is.:-

l. A drier having in combination a housing, means for propelling continuous material therethrough, baille means sub-dividing the housing interior into a plurality of sections through which the material passes in sequence, a plurality of means for exhausting air from and supplying air to the sections, and means for putting one of such sections optionally into or out of communication with the rest in respect of its air without interrupting the air-supply to the rest.

l2. In a carbonizing drier, in combination, a housing sub-divided into a baker section and drier sections, meansproviding for air movement from one section to another, means for circulating the air in a closed path in each section, and means optionally putting the baker section into series or parallel relation with the rest of the sections as regards air flow.

3. In a carbonizing drier, in combination, a housing sub-divided into a baker section and drier sections, independent inlets respectively supplying fresh air to the baker and to the drier sections, means providing for air movement from one section to another, means for heating and circulating the air in a closed path in a plurality of sections and independent exhaust passages venting air respectively from'the baker and `drier sections to the outside of the housing,

means optionally putting, the baker section into series or parallel relation with the rest of the sections as regards air fiow, and means for preheating all air supplied to the drier sections when in parallel relation before such air joins the'air circulating Within the housing.

, 4.A drier having in combination a housing, means for propelling continuous material therethrough in oppositely-traveling successive runs, a plurality of air-propelling means arranged across the width of the housing and a pressure-equalizing chamber into which the plurality of air-propelling devices discharges, and having means dis-` tributing the propelled air uniformly across and throughout the runs of material thrculh obstructing the free egress of the air from such chamber.'

5. A carbonizing drier having in combination a housing, means for propelling continuous fabric material therethrough in .vertical runs, means dividing the housing interior into a plurality of laterally adjacent transverse sections in which independently controllable different conditions of heat and moisture can be maintained. means subdividing at least one section into pressure and suction chambers each containing a plurality of runs of fabric, and air heating means and a fan located in line with the vertical runs of the fabric, interposed between and below the two chambers and in conjunction therewith defining a closed recirculation path, said fan producing a current of air in each chamber lengthwise of the runs of fabric from beyond the ends oi such runs, so that the heated air enters the pressure chamber in an upward direction to blow against one surface of the fabric, and enters the suction chamber fromvbeyond the ends of the runs to blow against the other surface of the fabric and then returns to the same fan through which it had previously passed.

6. In a machine for drying and carbonizing relatively air-impervious woolen fabrics in traveling continuous sheet form, in combination, a housing, means dividing the housing interior into a plurality'ofsections extending transversely of the length of the machine, means dividing each section vertically and transversely into a pressure chamber and a suction chamber, a fan and air-heating means both interposed between and below and in line with the pressure andsuction chambers of a section producing a recirculating blast of air traveling through the heating means and upward in the pressure chamber and in the opposite direction in the suction chamber back to the same fan, and means disposing the fabric in vertical air-directing sheets ina plurality of spaced and parallel runs in the pressure and suction chambers so that the runs compel the air blast to travel lengthwise of the fabric in each chamber from beyond the ends of the runs.

7. In a machine for drying andcarbonizing relatively air-impervious woolen fabrics while traveling in continuous sheet form. in combination, a housing, means dividing the housing interior into a plurality of sections extending transversely of the length of the machine, means dividing each section vertically and transversely into a pressure chamber and a suction chamber, a plurality of air-propelling and heating means arranged across the width of the housing and interposed between, below, and in line with the pressure and suction chambers of a section producing a recirculating blast of air traveling in one direction in the pressure chamber and in the opposite direction in the suction chamber back to its respective air-propelling means, and means disposing the fabric in vertical air-directing sheets in a plurality of spaced and parallel runs in the pressure and suction chambers so that the runs compel the air blastto travel lengthwise of the fabric in each chamber from beyond the ends of the runs.

8. In a machine for drying and carbonizing relatively air-impervious woolen fabrics while traveling in continuous sheet form, in combination, a housing, means dividing the housing interior into a plurality of sections extending transversely of the length of the machine, means dividing each section vertically and transversely into a pressure chamber and a suction chamber, a plurality of air-propelling and heating means arranged across the width of the housing and interposed between and in line with the pressure and suction chambers of a section producing a recirculating blast of air traveling in one direction in the pressure chamber and in the opposite direction in the suction chamber back to its respective air-propelling means, means disposing the fabric in vertical air-directing sheets in a plurality of spaced and parallel runs in the pressure and suction'chambers so that the runs compel the air blast to travel lengthwise of the fabric in each chamber from beyond the ends of the runs. and means interposed between the discharge sides of the air-propelling means and the fabric to equalize the distribution of the air across and throughout the runs of the fabric.

9. A drier having in combination a housing, means for propelling continuous material therethrough, baille means subdividing the housing interior into a plurality of sections through which the material passes in sequence, separate freshair inlets from outside the housing andv separate moist-air exhaust passages leading out from the housing for a plurality of the sections, preheating means warming the fresh air admitted from ,r

outside the housing into a -plurality of the sections before mingling with the air being impelled therethrough, fan means for entering fresh air, driving such air through one or more sections and discharging it from the housing when vapor-laden independently of the air-flowl through other sections, and means optionally determining the occurrence and the amount of air-transfer between adjacent sections.

10. A carbonizlng drier havingdn combination a housing approximating in width the width of the widest fabric desired to be treated, means for propelling continuous textile fabric materiall therethrough in a multiplicity oi' spaced vvertical runs comprising a series of upper spaced rollers and a series of -lower spaced rollers, vertical transverse partitions dividing the housing interior into a plurality of sections wherein differing conditions of heat and moisture may be maintained. secondary vertical transverse partitions separating adjacent vertical runs and dividing the sections into communicating pressure and suction chambers traversed by. the material and each containing a series of the upper and lower spaced rollers, air-heating and alrpropelling means wholly contained within the width and height of the housing, above the oor on which the drier stands, and beneath and within the width of the material, recirculating heated air in one direction through -a pressure chamberand reversely back to the same propelling means through an associated suction chamber, this air passing between and lengthwise of a plurality of runs of the fabric in each chamber.

11. A carbonizing drier for woolen fabrics -having in combination a housing, means for pro- -pelling continuous material therethrough in opstands, producing abundant and equalized airflow across the entire width of the fabric while permitting access to the housing interior from both sides. l

12. A carbonizing drier having in combination a housing, means for propelling continuous fabric material through the housing in oppositely travelling successive vertical runs, an air-heater and a ian blowing air thence between and lengthwise of these runs.- both the heater and the fan being located within the housing below the runs, means returning this air to the same fan through which it has already passed, beyond the ends of other vertical runs and thence between and lengthwise of such latter runs of the material, and a lint-catching screen horizontally disposed below the latter runs and above the fan across the path of the air as it returns to the said fan after leaving the material.

through the heater and 

